The courtroom was cold, the gavel's strike from the judge echoed like a knife slicing through Ngoc Lam's life. "The defendant is sentenced to seven years in prison for embezzlement..." The monotonous voice of the judge made her feel faint. Her eyes were clouded, looking towards the row of family members. Her parents, two silver-haired heads, wept loudly. The lawyer they hired bowed his head helplessly, knowing that all efforts had gone up in smoke.

In the moment she was dragged out of the courtroom, Ngoc Lam's gaze met a familiar figure. Thanh — the man she had loved with her whole heart — stood silently in the corner of the hallway. He wore an expensive suit, his face as cold as ice, looking at her with a distant gaze. The black car parked afar, the slightly opened window revealing the silhouette of a woman, Thanh's wife. Hanh was carrying a small child. The baby cried out, the sound tearing Ngoc Lam's heart apart. She screamed: "My child... Give my child back to me!" But before she could rush towards the car, she was restrained and pushed into the prison van by the guards. She looked through the bars, the luxurious black car became nothing but a blur of smoke. Her heart was filled with bitterness. Had his wife plotted to deceive her into signing away her custody rights, or was it Thanh who, while she was intoxicated with love, had betrayed her and led her into an inescapable trap? Now, they had a perfect family; were they smiling triumphantly, like a knife cutting deep into her shattered heart?

Ngoc Lam entered the prison like a moth flying into the fire. The air was humid and musty, the smell of sweat and urine assaulted her nose. The cold clanging of metal echoed behind her, the cell door slammed shut as if burying her last hopes alive.

Mocking laughter surrounded her incessantly: "Hey, you little mistress! Come here and entertain us!" — a tall, tattooed woman growled. Ngoc Lam shrank into a corner; on her first night, she was shoved around by the older prisoners, pulled by her hair, trampled on the thin blanket. The meal was a rotten potato and a bowl of thin soup.

The next morning, the blaring whistle woke up the entire row of cells. Ngoc Lam hurried to line up, but a rough hand shoved her hard in the back, causing her to fall face down onto the cement floor. "Get up, you whore!" — a guard barked, a baton rhythmically tapping against her palm. The older prisoners chuckled, pointing: "This one is the mistress who wrecked someone else's home! Serves her right!"

In the dining hall, the burly tattooed woman who had started bullying her deliberately blocked her path, sending Ngoc Lam's food tray flying. The white rice scattered on the ground, a few grains of salt speckled like tears defiled on the filthy floor. She sneered as she laughed heartily: "You whore, you can only eat the filthy stuff just like you!" — the crowd's gleeful laughter echoed around. Ngoc Lam knelt down to pick up the scattered rice, her hands trembling. She remembered the last meal at home, her mother serving her a piece of braised fish, her favorite dish. "Eat up, and everything will be alright..." — her mother's voice choked. Now, the smell of rice in the filthy prison made her vomit uncontrollably. Ngoc Lam bit her lip until it bled, every word felt like a knife slicing into the memory of her happy times with Thanh. The deeper the love, the greater the hatred; the resentment towards the man enveloped her, consuming her in the dark prison abyss.

The darkness in the cell was thick, the rasping breaths of the desperate souls echoed. Ngoc Lam huddled in the corner, clutching the ultrasound image of the child — the only keepsake she was able to hide. Suddenly, a flashlight beam shone directly on her face. "Come out!" — the guard with a goatee yanked her collar and dragged her away. He was one of the few male guards in this women's prison. To prevent riots, they still had a group of strong men suppressing the unruly inmates.

In the closed room, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. The guard's rough hand covered her mouth, tearing her prison shirt. "Behave... Serve these guys well, and I'll let you go back to your cell early!" — his voice was hoarse. Inside were two guards engrossed in drinking. Ngoc Lam struggled, she screamed for help, she darted toward the door, her hands continuously pounding against the barrier.But the man was strong, he grabbed her hair and forcefully threw her towards his two colleagues. They caught her and burst into crude laughter.

"Aren't you the one who likes to seduce married men? We all have wives, so feel free to satisfy yourself."

As they spoke, they continued to torment her body. Ngọc Lam struggled, but her strength was depleted; she squeezed her eyes shut, her tears had run dry. In her physical pain, the image of Thành appeared vividly: "I love you, I will make you happy." The sweet words of the man from years ago transformed into a blade that cut through her heart, causing it to fester and rot. She silently screamed, her red eyes staring up at the decaying ceiling. "I... I will not die here. I will make them pay!"

(Read and discuss to motivate me to post, okay?)